Plants epiphytic or rarely lithophytic, autotrophic. Pseudobulb ovoid, often weakly inflated, bilaterally flattened, to 10 × 6 cm, enclosed in persistent leaf bases and ca. 4 scarious cataphylls. Leaves usually 7-9, arching, ligulate, to 50-90(-125) × 1.5-4 cm, leathery, rigid, articulate to a broadly sheathing base to 15-20 cm, apex obtuse and unequally bilobed; shortest leaves reduced to cataphylls with an abscission zone near apex and a short blade. Inflorescence arising from within cataphylls, arching or pendulous, 28-75 cm; peduncle 5-16 cm, covered basally by 6-8 overlapping, cymbiform, acute, spreading sheaths to 7 cm; rachis pendulous, pale green, often flushed with purple, 20-55 cm, (7-)10-33-flowered; floral bracts triangular, 1-4 mm. Flowers usually coconut-scented, 3.5-4.5 cm in diam.; pedicel and ovary 15-26 mm, pale green, often flushed with purple; sepals deep maroon to dull yellow-green, strongly stained maroon; lip white, becoming yellow with age, lateral lobes stained maroon-purple, mid-lobe yellow in front of callus ridges and with maroon blotches; callus ridges bright yellow toward apex, stained maroon below; column deep maroon, sometimes paler at apex, anther cap white or pale yellow. Dorsal sepal spreading, suberect, narrowly ligulate-elliptic, 28-33 × 7-10 mm, margin revolute, apex obtuse; lateral sepals pendulous, similar, falcate, oblique. Petals weakly porrect, narrowly elliptic, 25-30 × 7.5-11 mm, margins sometimes revolute, apex obtuse or subacute; lip 21-25 × 13-15 mm when flattened, not fused to basal margins of column, 3-lobed, usually broadest across mid-lobe; lateral lobes erect, much shorter than column, apices obtuse and appearing truncate; mid-lobe weakly recurved, broadly ovate to rhombic, 11-13 × 13-14 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse to emarginate; disk minutely papillose to minutely pubescent (hairs longest on tips of lateral lobes), with a callus of 2 sigmoid raised ridges rounded and confluent at their apices and merging gradually with base of mid-lobe. Column arcuate, 16-18 × ca. 3.5 mm, winged; pollinia 2, triangular, 2-2.5 mm, deeply cleft, borne on a broadly triangular viscidium, tapering to acuminate apices. Fl. Mar-May.
Home